New Doctorate Program

Impacting the Future of Healthcare

Dr. Rosa Ketchum

OKWU is blazing new trails, launching the first-ever doctoral program in the university’s 115-year history. With a 100% online curriculum, the brand-new Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree will equip nurses to serve at the highest level of nursing practice, becoming leaders who improve patient outcomes and health systems by translating research into practice.

“This program will create opportunities to expand our mission by preparing nurses to advocate for social justice, equality, and ethics within healthcare throughout the world,” Becky Le, OKWU’s Director of Adult Nursing Programs, said. “Our students and faculty will not be constrained to physical boundaries in their calling and will make a Kingdom impact through nursing ministry well beyond our reach.”

The DNP in Executive Leadership is a program that will enable Kingdom nurses to serve at the highest level of nursing practice. – Dr. Rosa Ketchum, DNP Director

Like all of OKWU’s curriculum, the DNP’s coursework holds to the foundation of a Christian worldview, preparing nurses who can care for their patients’ bodies and souls. The program offers two doctoral learning pathways: a post-master’s DNP and the BSN to DNP. The post master’s pathway enables advanced practice nurses, nurse informaticists, nurse educators, nurse administrators, and other master’s-prepared specialty nurses to obtain a DNP in Executive Leadership. The BSN to DNP Pathway allows bachelor’s-prepared nurses to earn their Doctor of Nursing Practice.

“The DNP in Executive Leadership is a program that will enable Kingdom nurses to serve at the highest level of nursing practice,” Dr. Rosa Ketchum, director of the program, said. “This program acts to develop and empower nurses at the BSN or MSN level to use their leadership skills to improve patient outcomes and health systems by translating research into practice.”

During the Board of Trustees meeting on March 11, 2021, OKWU’s nursing team celebrated approval of the brand-new Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.